Following the ABC whatever-it-was (I refuse to call it a debate) I started looking for flag pins. I don’t Google so I used ask.com and did the same kind of search for each candidate, first name, last name. What I came up with is hardly a diary but it seems a bit too long for a comment. If it's not right, I'll take it down. (Help with tags is always appreciated!)
Please make the jump
My first search was surprising because I really expected to find at least a mix of pins/no pins on McCain. I’ve been at this for awhile but my recollection is that I could not find one picture of him with a flag pin – NOT ONE. I am sure if I had unlimited hours to spend or used another search engine or something I’d find one but he got the great bulk of my time and I had others to do.
Carnegie Mellon 4/08
KET (PBS) Appears to be 2/06
OurFounder - no date
Meredith College - no date
Blog from July 07
Time 2nd Rep. debate 2007
McCain Senate website
McCain Pres. Website Pictures from the road (I presume these change periodically but I went through #13 and found no pins.
OK. McCain is the nominee but not very patriotic. Who would be most likely to be all gung-ho? Duncan Hunter! Not so fast.... Hunter truly disappoints. I chose him next because I was sure a hard-driving patriot like him would be loaded up with pins, ties, socks.
Hunter with lots of Marines
CPAC 2007
Time 1st Repbulican debate
You can tell I got a little tired here in the middle. I was also having a lot of reflux and gas. Happens every time I see so much total crap.
Finally found one! Tom Tancredo, a true patriot, appears to wear one all the time, at least post-9/11. I did find some without but they were before 9/11. Guess patriotism wasn't so important way back then.
Mitt Romney
I’ve hit too many ‘pub sites and can’t find one with a pin. Blech!
Rudy Giuliani
Pretty consistently wears one.
Ron Paul
There is something there, but it’s not a flag...
Still can’t tell what it is
Even at this size, can’t tell, but no flag
Mike Huckabee
Debate
Another
Arkansas pin, prior to the campaign. There are lots of these but this is the one where you can actually tell what it is.
Debate 2
April 23, 2007
MTP: Looks like no flags. Only an Arkansas pin is good enough, I guess.
Fred Thompson
Not too many of this guy. Wasn’t around much.
Tonight Show 6/07
Ah, here’s one! http://www.instablogsimages.com/...
Oops! He lost it...
He wouldn’t dare NOT have one here....
Well, friends, that about covers it. It obvious that Obama is the only unpatriotic, non-pin-wearing, candidate. What? McCain, Huckabee,Romney don't wear one either? Ah, but you forget: IOKIYAR ! On the bright side, the next time that ditto-head brother-in-law brings up the flag pins, you have a whole bunch of sites to dispute it!
(I hope all the links work. It was a pain getting them all in there.)